In his return to Memphis, Shane Battier had 12 points, five
rebounds and four steals for the Rockets, who shot just 42
percent (28-of-66) but outrebounded the Grizzlies, 45-33.

"(Memphis) made it hard to make the catch," Houston coach Jeff
Van Gundy said. "Our ball-handling was substandard. How we
could win on the road like this is miraculous. It shows we did
other things. We rebounded well."

One of the most popular players in Memphis history, Battier
received a standing ovation during pregame introductions and
proceeded to score seven of Houston's first 14 points.

"I'm kind of jealous of (Battier) that he comes back and gets
the standing ovation that he got," McGrady said. "I go to
Orlando and Toronto and they kill (me)."

"I wanted to win this game, and not for any revenge sort of
reasons," Battier said. "I had five great years here. It's not
about that. I want to get this team off to a great start and
we've already surpassed the amount of wins we had in the
Southwest Division last year. So this was an important game for
us."

The Rockets were 1-15 against Southwest Division opponents last
season. Along with Tuesday's win, Houston routed the Dallas
Mavericks on Saturday to start off divisional play.

The Rockets never trailed, but nearly gave up the lead in the
fourth quarter when Jones dunked over Yao to make it 72-71 with
7:41 remaining in the game. Jones' slam over the 7-5 center
inspired the crowd but was the final highlight for the
Grizzlies.

Despite getting dunked on, Yao said he will continue to be
aggressive defensively, even when he is in foul trouble.

"That's something Coach (Van Gundy) has always pushed me to
improve," Yao said. "I've struggled with foul trouble. As long
as I can stay on the court, that's the only way we have a
chance."

While Memphis shot 3-of-16 after the highlight-reel flush, Yao
came up big in the final period. The four-time All-Star was
4-of-5 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in the
fourth quarter.

"Memphis is missing Pau Gasol, who is very dominant in the
paint," Yao said. "All we had to do was focus on their best
shooter, Mike Miller, and limit his 3-point shots. If our team
plays defense well, we play well."

McGrady shot 6-of-15 and had nine rebounds for Houston, which
picked up its first road victory despite committing 24
turnovers.

"We made a lot of mistakes tonight," McGrady said. "We made it
harder than it should have been, but more importantly, we came
out with the win."

Stromile Swift, who was traded for Battier in the offseason,
netted 15 points in his first game for the Grizzlies, who shot
just 40 percent (30-of-75).

"You have to remember that Stro (Stromile) has only had one real
day of practice before this game," Memphis coach Mike Fratello
said. "Having him give us any minutes and numbers is good.
He'll get his strength back."